Practice of Yoga

Complementary Practices to Promote Relaxation and Healing by Melissa Goodwin Students often ask, “What is the difference between meditation and restorative yoga?” This is a great question, because we tend to think of both in terms of the same set of desired results:...

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of aromatic essential oils derived from plants. Aromas are inhaled, used topically, or sometimes ingested to bring about mental and physical well-being. Popularity of aromatherapy has steadily increased in recent years, prompting...

If you snickered at the title of this post because your experience of Downward Facing Dog pose is anything but resting, then you are not alone. Virtually everyone experiences some form of struggle with Downward Facing Dog, especially at first. It’s a challenging...

The most familiar form of yoga practiced in the West is Hatha Yoga, which is a combination of physical postures (asana), breath work (pranayama), meditation (dhyana), and relaxation. There are many different styles, or expressions, of Hatha Yoga. In fact, there are so...

If you have been practicing yoga for a while, you are familiar with the relationship between breath and movement. You understand that certain movements correspond to either an in breath or an out breath, each complimenting and facilitating the other. Over time the...

Through the practice of yoga we become more aware of how we hold our bodies—how we stand, how we walk, and how we move about. This awareness takes, well, practice. In yoga class we work on lengthening the spine with a stable, engaged core while lifting and opening the...